Boarding platform actuated pump



13, 1962 J. SKOVRANEK BOARDING PLATFORM ACTUATED PUMP Filed May 1'7, 1960 INVENTOR. fomv 5KOVRA /v/ H TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,020,870 BOARDING PLATFORM ACTUATED PUMP John Skovranek, 44 Luther Ave., Perth Amboy, NJ. Filed May 17, 1960, Ser. No. 29,739 9 Claims. (Cl. 114-183) This invention relates to what can be regarded as small boats and, particularly, to the provision of a boarding platform, preferably disposed at one side of the rear portion of the boat for a person to gain access to the boat while in the water. More particularly, the invention deals with a pump mechanism for automatically discharging water contained within the bottom of the boat and, wherein, the diaphragm or other actuating element of the pump is coupled with and actuated by the platform in certain operations of the boat and when the boat is at anchor or coupled with a buoy, dock or the like.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear view of one lower corner portion of a boat, looking generally in the direction of the arrow 1 of FIG. 2, parts of the construction being broken away and in section and diagrammatically illustrating chains which are employed for the most part in dot-dash lines.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view generally on the line 2-.2 of FIG. 1, with parts of the construction shown in elevation and parts broken away and, again, illustrating the chains employed for the most part in dot-dash lines; and

FIG. 3 is a broken plan view of part of one side and rear corner portion of the platform on an enlarged scale, illustrating attachment of part of the chains to the platform.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, I have shown at a lower rear corner portion of a boat, 11 representing the back wall or stern of the boat. At 12 is shown a small portion of the bottom of the boat in FIG. 2 of the drawing and at 13, in said figure, is illustrated part of one side of the boat. Mounted in connection with the lower portion and one side of the back wall 11 by means of spaced hinges 14, note FIG. 1, is a platform 15. The platform 15, in the contruction shown, is in the form of a single sheet of metal, the bottom wall 16 of which terminates at its inner end in a reversely folded reinforcing flange 17, note FIG. 2. The wall '16 is generally oblong and rectangular in form and has upwardly extending side walls 18, the rear portion of the wall '16 being folded to form an upwardly extending rounded rear wall portion 19, the outer wall 20 of which extends downwardly and, then, inwardly, as indicated at 21 and again upwardly and is welded to the bottom wall 16 through the medium of a flange 22. This construction forms along the entire length of the back wall of the platform a chamber in which any suitable buoyant material, as diagrammatically illustrated at 23, is arranged. Such material as polystyrene foam can be used for this purpose.

The extent of use of the buoyant material is such as to maintain the platform self-sustaining in the water to the extent of support of a diaphragm or other actuating element of a pump 24 in one normal position through actuation of a spring 25, as later described.

Considering FIG. 3 of the drawing, it will appear that the rear ends of the side walls 18 lie over the sides of the wall 19 and are welded to the wall 18, as diagrammatically illustrated at 26.

The hinges 14, which are fixed to the back wall 11 and the bottom wall 16 of the platform, provide free swinging movement of the platform and this can be to the extent of substantially collapsing the platform upon the "ice rear wall 11, in the event that this position is desirable at any time or in the event of backing-up the boat which would result in automatic partial raising of the platform and, should the platform strike an object, the platform will be collapsed on the back of the boat without any injury thereto or to the other mechanism, later described.

Two chains 27, 27 diagrammatically illustrated, for the most part, in dot-dash lines in the drawing are fixed to the back of the boat and to the top wall 16 of the platform and the brief description of one of these chains will apply to both. The link 28, 28', at one end of the chain, is fixed to the back wall 11, as by a bolt or the like 29, 29 and the other end link 30, 30' of the chain is flattened and fixed to the wall 16 by a bolt 31, note FIG. 2, and a bolt 31, note FIGS. 1 and 3. In the normal position of the platform 15, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the chains 27, 27 will have a slack therein and this slack is taken up as and when a person steps upon the platform to gain admission to the boat.

Suitably fixed to the wall 16 of the platform and projecting upwardly therefrom is a U-shaped bracket 32, the bracket supporting a rivet or other pin 33, note FIG. $3, with which one end link 34 of another chain 35 is coupled. Here again, to simplify the showing, the chain 35, for the most part, is illustrated by dot-dash lines. The other end link 36 of the chain 35 is coupled with a link element 37 pivoted to one outwardly extended forked end portion 38 of a lever 39. Fixed to the back wall 11 of the boat is a supporting and bearing plate 40, generally of the contour seen in FIG. 1 of the drawing, the plate having centnally thereof a U-shaped bracket portion 41 in which the lever 30 is pivoted, as seen at 42. The other or upper end portion of the lever 39 has an aperture therein, as indicated clearly at 43 in FIG. 2 of the drawing.

The pump 24, diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing, is part of a pumping mechanism for automatically discharging water collected in the bottom of the boat to maintain the boat as dry as possible at all times. Mechanisms of this type and kind are well known in the art and are disclosed, for example, in my prior Patent Number 2,891,499, dated June 23, 1959. Accordingly, all that is shown in the present illustration is the pump 24 of such mechanism which usually employs a diaphragm, with which is coupled a shaft or rod 44 which extends rearwardly from the pump and has a hearing in a more or less yoke-shaped bracket 45 which sup ports the pump 24 upon the inner surface of the wall 11. The shaft 44 passes through an aperture 46 formed in the wall 11 and also through an aperture 47 in the bearing plate 40, the shaft projecting beyond the wall 11 and having a free mounting in the aperture 43 of the bracket 39. Supported upon the end of the shaft is a washer 48 held in place by lock nuts 49, the washer providing a bearing upon which the apertured end of the lever 39 operates.

It will be apparent that the spring 25 is arranged between the casing of the pump and the rear wall of the bracket 45 and is tensioned to normally support the diaphragm or the shaft 44 in an inward position, maintaining the chain 35 taut and supporting the platform in the position substantially as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. It will appear, from the foregoing, that any pitching or rocking of the boat 10 will cause the platform 15 to move upwardly and downwardly, thus actuating the pump mechanism to discharge water, the pump 24 having a pipe or flexible tube, shown, in part at 50 in FIG. 2, coupled therewith, which pipe extends to the other part of the mechanism of the water displacing or removing apparatus.

It will be understood that, as the platform 15 moves upwardly, the shaft 44 moves inwardly, this movement being assisted by the spring 25. The weight of the platform and its associated mechanism will serve to move the shaft 44 in the opposed direction, thus imparting the desired pumping action. It will, further, be apparent that, as and when a person steps upon the platform, the downward movement of the platform, taking-up the slack in the chains 27, 27, will cause the lever 39 to move the shaft 44 outwardly a greater degree than the shaft would move in the normal pumping action. However, the pump 24 will be designed to compensate for this added operation which would provide a greater stroke to the pump. This same action can, of course, take place when the boat is subjected to very rough water, where greater reciprocating or swinging movement would be imparted to the platform.

In FIG. 2 of the drawing, I have indicated by the dotted line 51 the approximate water level assumed by the boat and, in the operation of the boat, by means of an outboard or other motor arranged centrally of the back wall of the boat, normal straight progress of the boat through the water would not impart pumping action movement to the platform 15. However, as and when the boat takes turns. or the water is sufficiently rough to cause rocking of the boat, then and in that event, the platform would be actuated to impart the desired pumping action. In most instances, however, it is the desire to provide means to automatically remove water that may collect in a boat while the boat is at rest and anchored or secured in any desired manner.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A boarding platform actuated pump for boats of the character defined, comprising a platform hingedly supported to the outer surface of the lower portion of the back wall of a boat and normally submerged below the water line when the boat is in use, a pump supported upon the inner surface of said back wall above and in alinement with one side portion of said platform, the pump including a pump actuating shaft mounted in said wall and projecting through the rear surface thereof, and means including a flexible member coupled with the platform and in operative engagement with said shaft for actuating the shaft in reciprocating swinging movement of said platform.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein said last named means includes a lever having means pivotally supporting the same upon the back wall of the boat adjacent said shaft.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2, wherein said last named means includes a bearing plate, through which said shaft passes.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible member comprises a chain coupled with said platform at one side thereof.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein a pair of other flexible members are coupled with the rear wall of the boat and side portions of the platform near the rear end of the platform for compensating for added load applied to said platform.

6. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein said platform comprises an oblong rectangular bottom wall reinforced at its forward edge, and the rear portion of the platform includes on the lower surface thereof means forming a chamber for support of buoyant material.

7. A structure as defined in claim 6, wherein the sides of said platform include upwardly extending side walls secured to a rear wall portion of said platform.

8. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the pump includes spring means assisting in actuation of the pump through the medium of said platform.

9. A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the pump and said platform both employ means controlling normal support of the platform in the water when the boat is in use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 155,230 Fox Sept. 22, 1874 1,074,060 Melander Sept. 23, 1913 2,485,684 Aldridge Oct. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 801,263 Great Britain Sept. 10, 1958 

